Dear Parish Family,
During the ordination to the priesthood there is a moment when your name is spoken and you stand up, bow, and say “Present!” from the Latin, adsum, meaning “I am here.” This is the formal response to a call. It echoes the moment when Samuel wakes, runs to Eli and says, “Here I am, you called me!” As the event repeats, they finally recognize that God is calling young Samuel (See: 1 Sam 3). This liturgical action of being called by name, is one of many moments on the path to the priesthood. Each time one is called it is an opportunity to say “Yes! I am present. I shall serve.” And each further call can be seen as a deepening of that original call. For me, this multilayered reality suggests that God does not call us once, but numerous times. We are beckoned or invited to follow him countless times. Jesus calls the disciples to follow him initially, but even after the Resurrection, the invitation is renewed and strengthened (See: Luke 5 & John 21, for example).
I can still remember that first call, February 2000. John Paul II was Pope. “Open Wide the Doors to Christ!” the Jubilee Year. I was studying clinical psychology in Graduate School at the University of Virginia, expecting my life to follow that road. But I had developed the virtue of attending Mass during the week and had set aside time each week for adoration from 4 to 5am. On one unforgettable occasion, he spoke to my heart plainly and clearly: “I want you to be my priest.” To be honest, this communication was not out of the blue. Jesus had been tugging on my heart; he had surrounded me with young people asking similar questions, seeking to learn and recognize how the hand of the Lord was on the rudder of their life. A strong community around me did much to bring to life the priest who serves you still today.
My personal story brings me to share with you about “Called by Name” – a national effort that many dioceses have conducted with remarkable success. The idea here is that vocations blossom in the hearts of young people, but also that they are stirred up by family, friends, and the whole community. Sometimes even, a community or family at odds with a religious vocation may prevent the call from being heard. So, each of us is invited to look to our community and to our families and ask ourselves if we recognize someone with the virtues and qualities that would make a future priest. In a way, we are saying “I see in you, the possibility that God may be calling you.” Being open to this possibility helps us become a more pro-vocation community – a family of believers that encourages others to be priests, or consecrated religious. Not everyone is called to marriage. Some are called to remain single. Some are called to follow our Lord by single-heartedly following him and serving where his Church indicates. This continues to be my life-long path, entered into with immense joy and humility, now a quarter century ago.
So, who among us might be called by name to the priesthood? Please fill out one of the cards and drop it in the basket in the next week or two.
May God bless us abundantly!
Fr. Joel
